Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour is back in full swing for its final Canadian leg, kicking off last night in Toronto. Did everyone see that “False God” and “‘tis the damn season” mash-up? Yes? OK, good.
If you’re anything like me, you would’ve committed certain high crimes to be in attendance. And certainly, there were more than a few moms out there are feeling a little down that they weren’t able to snag tickets for their little Swifties.
That’s why Melissa Grelo, moderator of Canadian talk show The Social, reached out to moms in a now-deleted video on Instagram. She wanted to remind moms who weren’t able to procure the highly-coveted tickets that they’re “doing great.”
“As exciting as all of the Taylor Swift excitement is right now in the city of Toronto, I know this is also going to be an extremely difficult week for a lot of, specifically, Swiftie moms out there,” Grelo said. “It’s just a matter of supply and demand. Far too much demand and not enough supply when it comes to tickets.
“I know, moms, that you’re trying to do anything and everything to bring the joy of Taylor Swift to your kids.”
She also expressed empathy for parents who weren’t able to afford it pointing out that, “if there are any tickets available, they are literally the price of a car.
While tickets for the Canadian shows initially went on sale in 2023, any remaining ones are quite hard to come by via resale, with some reportedly going for as high as $33,000.
Despite the exorbitant prices, little Swifties and their parents alike might find it hard to not feel disappointed, as Swift will play six shows in Toronto over the next two weekends.
“I just want to acknowledge that this isn’t going to be an easy time for everybody, as exciting as it is for the city. … I want to just say, I feel for you. I see you. There are little girls whose hearts are breaking everywhere,” Grelo said. “But moms, you are enough. You are doing a fantastic job. Whether or not you were able to get tickets, this is a little blip in history. They are going to get over it.”
“I see you, I feel you and I get it if you just want to turn off everything Taylor Swift for the next two weeks. … Moms, you’re doing great,” Grelo concluded.
Many commenters took comfort in Grelo’s message.
“Needed this, I feel like a total failure of a mom. My daughter’s absolutely heartbroken that she’s not going,” one user said.
“Crying listening to ur post. It’s been a stressful time trying to make my son happy. These prices are literally insane,” added another.
However, others were critical of Grelo, calling the issue a “first world problem.” Some also accused her of being hypocritical, since she later attended Thursday night’s show with her daughter.
“You are lucky to afford tickets, most worry about groceries right now,” one user commented.
Grelo seemingly took down the post and shared a story in response, writing, “I capitulate. Nuance and empathy die on social media.”
Personally, I understand the criticism, but I appreciate Grelo’s message. Seeing Taylor Swift is a dream for so many kids (and me, an adult, but totally also kids). If your puppy-dog-eyed kid is telling you they’re sad they’re not at the show, you might need a little reminder that you’re still doing okay and that the large majority of parenting has nothing to do with buying your kid stuff.
It looks like Grelo and her daughter had a great time, too, so good for them! To paraphrase Taylor herself, I think we all need to calm down, just a little.